Information about visual art in Suriname

November 15, 2012November 28, 2012

Solo exhibition Anand Binda makes visitor reflect on pure beauty

From Friday November 16 till Thursday December 1, 2012, one can visit the solo exposition of the established artist Anand Binda. The expo is held at the Royal House of Art gallery at the Royal Torarica hotel and carries the name The beauty in our lives. For this exhibition Binda selected 17 paintings, where nature is the main topic: trees, water sceneries and animals.

In his work the artist captured the beauty of our surroundings. The splendour of nature, but also the beauty of magnificent moments from the present and the past. This includes a portrait of a girl, but also a painting of ‘Old Poelepantje’. This is the place where Binda spent his youth and with an impressive painting of 2 x 1.5 meters, he brings us back to the fifties of the last century. We see the Willem Campagneweg with little boats when it was not filled in yet and the characteristic water tower. It is the second time the artist paints this place, but this time he went about it with a very critical eye, with lots of attention for the construction of the buildings. Archive photo’s and memories were the basis for this painting. With this work Binda wants to bring this place back to life in all her beauty and relive his childhood memories.

In 2008 Anand Binda also had an exhibition at the Royal House of Art gallery and then nature had a prominent place as well. For Binda nature remains a fascinating subject as it is in constant movement and therefore always original. “Nature is pure”, says the artist. “A tiger for example, only hunts for what he needs. It does not stash food and does not consume lavishly. A fruit trees is also dependable: mangoes do not suddenly change into oranges. It also keeps on renewing itself by giving new leaves. But people are more unreliable and do not always take good care of their surroundings; of nature. How long are we going to keep this up?”

Anand Binda – Waterpartij met lelies [Pond with lilies], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012The artist uses his paintings to make a statement. He wants to make people aware of the beauty they encounter every day and indicate that we must cherish this. He wants to pass on a message, like the importance of nature conservation, but always in a subtle way. By touching people with beauty, they will open up to your message. Binda: “You should not force yourself upon people. When you are subtle, things will find their own way. Through my work I stir up a process with a much bigger effect.”

Anand Binda – Portret met jong meisje [Portrait with young girl], acrylic on linen, 2012 | Courtesy Anand Binda, 2012This subtlety can also be found back in his impressionistic style. Binda loves the effect of light in his paintings. The preliminary work for his paintings is often done with help of a photo camera and sketchbooks. He makes a selection of what catches his interest in certain series and starts working with these in his studio.

The artist aims for personal growth. His vision is that human beings are being lent certain talents and that it is our duty to further develop this talent and to show this development to others. It is important to give back. As such the artist also participates in a benefit project of the Argentinean organisation Asociación de Artistas Plásticos Internacionales(ADAPI), where on the 9th of this month works from various South American artist were sold for Mexican street children. Also this suits the philosophy of sharing through art. The artist feels blessed to be able to give back to society in this way.

In the evenings and on Saturdays, visitors of the expo can exchange thoughts with the artist about his paintings and can let themselves be challenged by his work. What do his paintings evoke with the viewer? The core of Binda’s work is to be in harmony with the community and to share through art. That is what gives life its golden rim: its beauty.